Burlington to hold neighborhood meetings

Published: Saturday, June 29, 2013 at 04:11 PM.

Owen said the city changed the policy to include those residential areas, if the complexes made changes accommodating collection trucks, such as providing adequate turn-around space.

“I know that came out of a meeting we had over at Turrentine (Middle School),” he said.

Owen said every community meeting is different, with discussions based on “what the topic of interest might be that day,” ranging from residents wanting additional police presence in certain areas and other public safety issues, to noise complaints and a bus system.

“That conversation has come up,” he said.

Recently, the city council has been holding the neighborhood meetings every two years, instead of every year. Owen said this year’s meetings should be particularly interesting now that the Community Workgroup on East Burlington has formed to address issues specifically in the eastern part of Burlington.

The city will finalize the other two meeting locations within the next two or three weeks, Owen said, then advertise the times and locations.

The Burlington City Council will hold another round of community meetings in September.

The council has set community meetings for the four Thursdays that month so residents can speak face-to-face with their elected officials about their concerns.

City Manager Harold Owen said the meetings will take place Sept. 5, 12, 19 and 26, but the locations aren’t yet set in stone.

“Two of them we’ve got reserved,” he said. The meeting for north Burlington will take place at North Park, and the east Burlington meeting will happen at the Fairchild Community Center.

“The other two we’ve not confirmed,” Owen said.

In the past, he said, the city council has used Turrentine Middle School for its west Burlington meetings, and recalled discussions at that location leading to “interesting policy changes.”

In a 2009 or 2010 meeting, Owen said residents of private neighborhoods wanted to be included in the city’s garbage collection service, which hadn’t picked up at apartment complexes or condominiums because the private roads weren’t built to city standards.

Owen said the city changed the policy to include those residential areas, if the complexes made changes accommodating collection trucks, such as providing adequate turn-around space.

“I know that came out of a meeting we had over at Turrentine (Middle School),” he said.

Owen said every community meeting is different, with discussions based on “what the topic of interest might be that day,” ranging from residents wanting additional police presence in certain areas and other public safety issues, to noise complaints and a bus system.

“That conversation has come up,” he said.

Recently, the city council has been holding the neighborhood meetings every two years, instead of every year. Owen said this year’s meetings should be particularly interesting now that the Community Workgroup on East Burlington has formed to address issues specifically in the eastern part of Burlington.

The city will finalize the other two meeting locations within the next two or three weeks, Owen said, then advertise the times and locations.